Fall For You
by OfPearlsAndShoelaces
Summary: Frustrated in his marriage and on the brink of divorce, Peeta Mellark becomes infatuated with the one person he shouldn't- his babysitter, Katniss Everdeen. Rated M for sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

**Written for tumblr's Prompts in Panem's Farwell Tour. Round 8, the 7 deadly sins: Lust. I've been pretty busy lately and I haven't had much time for fan fiction. This PIP gave me the opportunity to stretch those muscles a bit.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games; I'm just borrowing the characters.**

* * *

"Hey, Katniss, it's Peeta Mellark. Listen, I know this is late notice, but I was wondering if you'd be available to sit for me tonight. Something came up and I'd need you here around 5. Call me back when you can. Thanks."

Katniss groaned. She had a major test tomorrow that she really needed to study for. She'd already been accepted into college, but the university had warned her that if she didn't keep up her grades senior year, they could withdraw her acceptance. And going to college was key to getting herself and Prim out of their house on Seam Street. On the other hand, she wasn't really in a position to turn down a night of tax- free money. The Mellarks paid well. Besides, Rye was a good kid. At four years old, a showing of _Toy Story_ and a nighttime snack was usually all it took to pacify him. Then it would be bedtime for the toddler and she'd be free to study. She hit the "call back" button on her phone and Mr. Mellark answered on the first ring. She assured him that, yes, she was available and yes, she would see him and Mrs. Mellark at 5PM sharp.

Her mom dropped her off at the Mellark's on her way to work the night shift at the hospital. Katniss approached the large oak doors that adorned the front of the massive brick house. She had been here often enough and they were already expecting her, so she pushed open the door without ringing the bell.

"Katniss!" A blur of unruly blonde hair and blue- striped pajamas raced to her and hugged her tightly around the knees.

"Hi Rye," Katniss said, ruffling the little boy's hair. "Where are your parents?"

"Upstairs. Wanna play blocks with me?"

"Of course," she said. "Lead the way." Rye led her past the formal living and dining rooms to his playroom just off the kitchen. It was the kind of room Katniss could only dream of as a child, stocked floor- to- ceiling with every kind of toy imaginable. But Rye only ever wanted to play with his blocks. He liked to construct the "tallest towers ever" and then promptly knock them down, scattering the blocks all over the pristine floor.

They had moved onto their third "tallest tower ever" when Peeta Mellark turned up in the doorway to the playroom. Barely 30 and gorgeous, with crystal clear blue eyes, a broad chest, and tousled blond hair, he made something in Katniss's stomach flutter every time he walked into a room. The crisp, expertly tailored tuxedo he was sporting tonight did nothing to help matters. "Oh, Katniss, I'm so glad you're here. I hate to do this to you on a school night," he said, with every air of sincerity.

Katniss waved her hand through the air. "It's no problem, really. I brought homework with me. I can study here just as well as I can at home."

He smiled at her, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth. "I've got a last minute work function to go to. My business partner, Finnick was supposed to go instead, but he's stuck at home with a sick child and a pregnant wife, so I took pity on him. Hopefully we won't be out too late. Rye, here, has had his bath, but no dinner yet. The kitchen's fully stocked; help yourself to whatever you like. And Rye?" he said, commanding the little boy's attention, "You be good for Katniss, okay?"

"I will, daddy," Rye promised.

"Good. Come here and give me a hug, buddy." Rye abandoned his blocks and jumped into his father's arms, who raised him high into the air before bringing him down and planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

Rye giggled. "Daddy! Yuck!" He wiped his check with the sleeve of his shirt.

Peeta chuckled. "I'll see you when you wake up for school in the morning, okay?"

"Can we have dinosaur oatmeal for breakfast?" Rye asked.

"Of course we can! It's a date," Peeta promised. "Now if I can just get your mother down here… Delly!" he called, "Delly, we're going to be late!"

"Christ, Peeta, I'm coming!" called a voice from the staircase, and Delly Mellark appeared, clad in a black evening gown that hugged her ample curves in all the right places. Even with her preoccupied air whilst looping diamond earring through her earlobe, the woman was pretty enough to make Katniss feel inadequate on any given day. Now with her hair carefully styled in soft, blond curls that cascaded down her back and her makeup applied to perfection, she looked simply radiant. Peeta and Delly Mellark were the perfect couple. "You can't just spring something like this on me at the last minute and expect me to jump at your beck and call the second you need to leave. Now were is my purse?"

"It's right here," Peeta said, handing it to her. "Ready to go?" She snatched the purse from him, blew a kiss to Rye, and called a quick 'thank you' to Katniss over her shoulder. Peeta gave Katniss a wink and a last smile before closing the front door behind him.

Pushing down the renewed fluttering, Katniss turned her attention back to her small charge. "So, Rye, what do you want for dinner? Mac and cheese or chicken nuggets?"

The boy turned his blue eyes heavenward and stuck his tongue between his teeth, clearly thinking hard. "Both!" he said finally, giving her the same shit- eating grin that his father did. Stinker.

The promise of getting to have _both_ of his favorite foods was enough to convince Rye to play on his own for a bit while Katniss started on dinner. She supposed she should probably incorporate some veggies into the meal- chicken nuggets and mac and cheese weren't the healthiest options after all- but she was the babysitter, and her job was to be fun. Let his parents push broccoli and green beans on him.

His parents. She had known Mr. and Mrs. Mellark for over a year now, and had been babysitting for Rye just as long. Her Uncle Haymitch, who was the lawyer on retainer at Peeta's company, had recommended her to Peeta when he learned that the Mellarks were looking for a sitter. Years of taking care of Prim practically on her own while her mother worked nights as a nurse and slept during the day had made Katniss an expert with children. For the most part, Rye was putty in her hands. The tough part was his father.

Peeta's presence always made Katniss jumpy. She'd never known a man so attractive and funny and kind. He made the immature boys that went to her school like Cato and Marvel look wholeheartedly unappealing by comparison. Katniss's eyes wandered to the photos on the wall of the living room adjacent to the kitchen. The largest was a framed portrait of Peeta and Delly on their wedding day that hung above the fireplace. Both of them looked stunning in their wedding finery, even though the small bump that was Rye was just visible under Delly's dress. Katniss had wondered on occasion if that was why they had gotten married in the first place. She could never understand how Delly had ended up with someone like Peeta. The woman hardly spared Katniss a glance anytime she came over and she lacked any of the charismatic warmth her husband seemed to possess in droves. Then again, maybe it was true what they said about opposites… shit!

Katniss grabbed the handle of the boiled- over pot and removed it from the heat in a flash. That's what she got for letting her mind wander. The water simmered down immediately and upon further inspection, the noodles were done anyway.

While Rye gobbled down his dinner with a side of organic applesauce for good measure, Katniss cut two thick slices of bread from the fresh loaf in the breadbox and made herself a sandwich. One thing she loved about coming here was that the Mellarks always had delicious, fresh bakery bread in the house. She had no idea which bakery it came from, but it certainly wasn't the Walmart where she bought all of _her_ family's groceries.

Rye's selection of a bedtime movie was, predictably, of the _Toy Story_ persuasion. This time, it was the third one. Katniss had seen each of the three with him several times over, and she had to admit this one was her personal favorite. It resonated with her. Leaving childhood behind and embracing adulthood is a theme with which she was intimately familiar. The damn movie made her cry every time.

After the last bars of _You've Got a Friend in Me,_ (Rye always insisted on watching the credits) it was time for bed.

"Is my daddy comin' home?" a tearful Rye asked Katniss when he was tucked snugly into bed, only his little face peeking out from beneath the blankets. She was prepared for this. Separation anxiety usually kicked in about now for Rye when he was tired and at his crankiest.

"Of course," she promised. "Remember, he said he would be here when you woke up? You two have a breakfast date in the morning." Rye sniffled. "Tell you what, Rye. You close your eyes and think of happy things, and when you wake up he'll be here." Katniss stroked his curls, and Rye tucked his favorite stuffie close to his chest. She stayed with him until his breathing became rhythmic and deep, then tiptoed out of the room.

Katniss was lounging in the living room watching the enormous flat screen TV- and decidedly not studying- when Mr. and Mrs. Mellark arrived home. "How was he?" Mr. Mellark asked, perching next to her on the couch. Katniss's body thrummed with energy and she tried to remember how to form words to answer him.

"Um, fine. He was good. A little teary at bedtime, you know, but otherwise we had fun." She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

Mr. Mellark grinned. "Did he make you watch _Toy Story_ again?"

"The third one," she affirmed.

He chuckled. "I swear I can't wait until he picks a new favorite. I could probably quote every one of those movies from beginning to end just from memory."

"I bet Rye can, too," she said. He threw back his head and laughed, eyes sparkling in the same special way every time they discussed his son.

"Well, Katniss, we should probably get you home. Delly, do you have the checkbook?"

Mrs. Mellark appeared again, rummaging through her purse. She handed the checkbook to her husband, and with a polite but stiff, "Goodnight, Katniss," disappeared upstairs.

"Sorry about that; she's just tired," Peeta said, glancing upstairs towards his wife. "We really weren't expecting to go out tonight." He pulled a pen from his suit jacket and flipped open the checkbook.

Katniss loved Peeta's car. It had a million satellite radio stations and heated seats that warmed her rear end as he sped down the highway toward Seam Street where she lived. As quiet as Katniss was, Peeta was equally as talkative. Their conversations never lagged for long. He always made sure to ask about school and how her sister, Prim was doing. Unlike other people who might ask the same questions, he genuinely cared about the answers.

When he pulled into her driveway, Mr. Mellark killed the engine and turned in his seat to face Katniss. Her heart skipped a beat. "Listen, Katniss, I was hoping I could make a standing arrangement with you. Delly and I have, um, an appointment coming up every Monday and Wednesday at three. We have a driver to pick up Rye from school, but we really need to someone to occupy him for a few hours until one of us gets home. Would you be able to do something like that for us?" Katniss didn't say anything and Peeta mistook her silence for hesitation. "Of course, our driver could pick you up from school too, if that's an issue. We'd also pay you well, and-"

"I'll do it," she said, cutting him off. "It's no problem, Mr. Mellark, really. I'm happy to do it."

"Thanks, Katniss. I really appreciate it." His grateful smile was so genuine that her stomach flipped.

"It's no problem at all," she managed to say. "I'll see you on Monday."

* * *

Chaff, the Mellark's driver, pulled up to Panem High School in a shiny black SUV the following Monday. Katniss could feel the eyes of her peers on her as she climbed into the ostentatious vehicle. Nothing like this car ever showed up in the parking lot at Panem High. Luckily, Rye was already awaiting her in the back seat and squealed with joy when she opened the door, distracting her from the questioning looks she was getting.

Katniss worried a little about Prim on the drive over the Mellark residence on the opposite side of town, but she was walking the few blocks home with her best friend and neighbor, Rue, and Rue's older brother. Thresh wouldn't let anything happen to the girls.

When they arrived at the house, Katniss thanked Chaff and chased after Rye up the driveway. She keyed in the code to open the gate. After cajoling Rye into changing out of his school uniform and into some play clothes, they settled in the kitchen with an after school snack. The afternoon went smoothly from there. They were playing with blocks again with Mr. Mellark arrived home. He looked exhausted today with deep purple bags under his eyes. Nevertheless, he scooped up Rye when the little boy ran into his arms and lifted him high above his head.

"Were you good for Katniss today, Rye- Rye?" The boy nodded and Mr. Mellark turned to Katniss for confirmation. She confirmed that yes, Rye was perfect as always, and then Rye filled in his father on every aspect of their day together, right down to the sandwich Katniss had torn into after school.

"Katniss _loves_ our bread, daddy!" Rye exclaimed.

"Oh she does, does she?" Mr. Mellark asked. Katniss blushed deep red. She didn't want to sound so needy in front of Mr. Mellark. Maybe she should not have been so flippant about enjoying the sandwich in front of Rye, but she was so hungry it was hard not to moan when her teeth sank into that delicious bread. So she nodded her head yes. "I make it myself, actually," said Mr. Mellark.

Katniss's jaw dropped. "You do?"

"I do. And Rye, here, is my little helper." He tickled the boy's stomach.

"Sometimes we get up even before school to make it!" Rye said proudly.

"You know what, Katniss, you should take a loaf home with you!" Before she could object, Mr. Mellark was heading for the kitchen and wrapping up a fresh loaf for her. "My parents ran a bakery when I was growing up and I worked there all through high school and college." Katniss wondered fleetingly how he ended up in the insurance business when he'd baked all his life. Then again, Delly was pregnant when he married her. Did he do it to provide a better life for her and their child? Peeta turned to hand her the bread, but saw the hesitation on her face. "Please take it. Delly is on some sort of no- carb diet at the moment, and Rye and I can't possibly eat all of this." Katniss stared at the loaf in his hand, thinking just how much Prim would love it and how they wouldn't have to spend their limited grocery money on bread this week. The she looked into his kind eyes shining through the dark circles and any of her wavering resolution melted away. She took the bread.

Every week thereafter, he pressed some kind of baked good into her hands before Chaff drove her home, insisting he'd made too much that week or that no one in the house would eat it, or some other flimsy excuse. After a while, however, she noticed that many of her favorites were included in the bundle at increasingly regular intervals. Cheese buns, cinnamon nut bread, and iced cookies especially. The raisin scones that she didn't care for only made it in once. Somehow, Mr. Mellark was ferreting out her likes and dislikes. Katniss suspected that Rye was his informant. Even at only four years old, the kid was as sharp as a tack. She tried to be more careful about her eating habits at the Mellark house, but with a kitchen bursting with baked delicacies, it was admittedly difficult to restrain herself.

The next time she stepped into the house was a Saturday night. Mr. Mellark had called her once again to watch Rye, presumably so that he Mrs. Mellark and Mrs. Mellark could attend one of his work functions. She crossed the foyer to find an unusual sight. Rye was crouching in the upstairs hallway, his face peeking through the bars of the railing, his hands pressed tightly over his ears. Katniss knew in an instant why. The screaming seemed to be coming from the opposite end of the hall, in the direction of the master bedroom. Mr. and Mrs. Mellark were arguing.

Katniss beckoned to Rye, and he flew down the grand staircase into her arms. She carried him into his playroom, where the yelling was mercifully muted. "What's wrong, Rye?' She asked, smoothing his hair back from his forehead.

"Mommy and daddy are gettin' a ' _force_ ," he whispered.

A force? Did he mean Porsche? Did Delly go out and buy a Porsche without telling Peeta? That certainly could have caused an argument. Not that the Mellarks truly needed another vehicle, but it wasn't like they couldn't afford one. But she thought it best not to press Rye on the subject and distracted him with his myriad of toys instead.

"Daddy, what's a 'force?" Rye directed the question over her shoulder. Katniss whipped around to find Mr. Mellark in the doorway to the playroom, his cheeks a deep red.

"We'll talk about it later, buddy, okay? Katniss, could I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?" She obliged, following him into the other room. Peeta leaned against the counter, running a hand distractedly through his hair. It wasn't until his shirt rode up when he lifted his arm that she noticed he wasn't even dressed up yet. Surely he wasn't planning on wearing a t-shirt and running pants to a go out, even if they did hang enticingly low on his hips, putting his toned abdominals on display. Katniss leaned into his low whisper, his words fanning across her face. "Do you think you can keep Rye entertained in the basement for a while? There's something Delly and I have to do before we leave and I don't want him to see it."

Katniss stared at him, thunderstruck. The basement could hardly be called as such, seeing as there was special flooring in place to practice all manner of sports; golf, baseball, basketball, and football among them. It was plenty to keep a four- year- old boy occupied, so that was not an issue. But there was something off in the Mellark household tonight and she couldn't quite figure out what it was. She assured him that of course, she would keep Rye out of the way for whatever it was they needed to do.

"Good," Mr. Mellark sighed, still managing to smile warmly at her through his stress. "Thank you so much, Katniss. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you." The words jolted her stomach, which left her smiling at an idiot at the nicest man she knew. _Why_ did she always have to act like a complete imbecile around him? It wasn't like she was the most talkative person in the world to begin with, but something about Peeta left her mouth dry and her stomach full of butterflies.

The exchange stuck with her as she ushered Rye downstairs, but was quickly wiped from her mind when the boy picked up a baseball. She needed her all wits about her when he had a throwing object in his hand.

They played game after game, the occasional thump! or, bang! from upstairs interrupting the quiet. Katniss wondered what on earth the Mellarks were doing up there, but mercifully, Rye did not seem bothered by it, too intent upon their games to notice. When at last there had been no noise upstairs for the better part of an hour, Katniss determined that it was safe to go upstairs and get Rye a snack. She checked the garage and found that both of the Mellark's cars were gone. Another oddity. If they went somewhere together, why drive separately?

It was after midnight and Rye was deeply asleep in his bed when Mr. Mellark finally arrived back home, accompanied not by Mrs. Mellark, but by Chaff, the driver. Katniss assumed this was so the older man could drive her home, but she was surprised again by Peeta's insistence on giving her a ride.

"I'll be back in a little bit, okay Chaff? Thank you for staying with him," he said, beckoning Katniss out to his car. He didn't meet her eye as opened the door for her and walked around to the driver's side. Their conversation was forced and mostly consisted of meaningless small talk as he drove toward her home in the Seam. Katniss could tell there was something else on his mind. Something heavy that he was avoiding discussing with her. Sure enough, she was right.

It wasn't until he had pulled into her driveway and put the car into park that he turned to her and told her what was really on his mind. "I don't know if you picked up on what Rye meant earlier, but he overheard Delly and I discussing the fact that we're getting a divorce."

Katniss's jaw dropped. She had no idea what to say. What was the appropriate reaction when you heard someone was getting a divorce? "Mr. Mellark, I-"

"Peeta," he interrupted her. "Call me Peeta, please."

She blushed. "Peeta, I had no idea… I'm so sorry," she said, sounding like the world's biggest idiot.

Mr. Mellark shook his head. "No, it's okay, you couldn't have known. These past few weeks… Delly and I have been going to marital counseling. That's why I've been having you come over to babysit, but there's just no fixing us. She moved out tonight."

 _Oh_. Everything fell into place at once. The arugment, the basement, the strange noises from the upper level… Peeta had asked her to keep Rye out of the way so he wouldn't see his mother packing her bags and leaving. And Peeta, being the person that he was, helped her do it. Sympathy rushed through her in a powerful wave. Anyone who could abandon such a man was a downright fool, there was no denying that fact.

Before Katniss could say anything else, Peeta spoke again. "I loved her so much," he said, more to himself than to her. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "She used to be so vivacious and beautiful. She was the friendliest person I knew. She never had a bad thing to say about anyone, ever. But after Rye came along, she was just… different. She wouldn't hold him; she'd barely touch him. There were days I couldn't get her out of bed at all. She changed." He looked up again, almost surprised to see Katniss still sitting there. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "That's not really appropriate to say. I shouldn't be bothering you with this."

But what he described was so achingly familiar to Katniss that she reached out automatically to hold his hand over the console. "My mother," she began, "After my dad died, she didn't want anything to do with me or my sister. It was weeks before we could even get her out of bed to shower. She went back to work eventually, but she's never been the same since."

He squeezed her hand and electricity shot up her arm. "You're so strong, Katniss," he whispered. "Don't think I don't know that about you. You're always working so hard and the way you talk about your sister… she's lucky to have you." Katniss blushed at the unexpected compliment, but something in his eyes held her in place. Suddenly, the heated seat beneath her felt too warm. The air in the car was stifling, and yet there wasn't a place in the world that she would rather be. "I wish I had your strength."

Katniss wasn't aware that they were leaning toward each other until their faces were mere inches apart across the console. Peeta's eyes flicked to her lips, then back to her dilated pupils. "I'm not strong." Her voice cracked. "I'm not anything." She was a girl from the poor part of town, scraping her way through high school in the mere hope that she could lead a halfway decent life one day. But in the end, she had no prospects. Nothing worth having or desiring.

Peeta was shaking his head. "I don't think you understand the effect you can have." The words stymied her reproach. He was leaning closer to her; she was drawn to him like scrap metal to a magnet. It was impossible to resist the pull. Her eyes flickered closed a second before his lips ghosted over hers. He was exceedingly gentle with her, testing her the waters before going further. When she did not draw away from him, he deepened the kiss. His hand threaded through her hair, tugging gently at the roots. His tongue traced along the seam of her lips, and she gladly allowed him entrance. He laved his tongue over hers, coaxing it into the heat of his mouth. The flavor of him was like nothing she had ever tasted before. It was sweet and manly and entirely intoxicating. His scent filled her senses, surrounding her and engulfing her in his musky warmth.

Her body thrummed with energy, stemming from the point where Peeta's lips were melded to hers. The console of the car was digging into her stomach from leaning so far over, but she didn't care. The kiss felt so good that it overwhelmed her mind. Everything else was just background noise. He pulled her bottom lip between his to nibble softly on it. An involuntary moan curled up through her throat. None of the high school boys she had ever dated kissed like this. Because they were just that- boys. Peeta Mellark was a man. And he kissed like one.

He broke apart from her with a soft smacking sound. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and her eyes flew open to see his flushed face watching her closely. "I shouldn't have done that."

The truth of the situation hit her like a freight train. Impending divorce or not, he was still married. And he had a son. And he was much older than her. He was right. They shouldn't be doing do this.

"I should go." The frigid winter air stung her flushed cheeks as she stumbled out of the car. She didn't look back at his face, but he stayed in the driveway while she fumbled with her house key and didn't he drive away until she was safely inside. She slumped against the front door, thoroughly perplexed. Peeta Mellark just kissed her. And no matter how many times she told herself it was wrong, it didn't matter. It had felt _good_. Her phone buzzed in her hand, displaying a text from him.

 _I'll understand if you don't want to come over next week_.

The words sent a pang of regret to her stomach. He was giving her an out. But she wasn't going to take it.

 _I'll be there_. She texted back.

As she lay in bed that night, it was the thought of Peeta Mellark and his sugar- sweet lips that brought her to a trembling, blissful climax under her own fingers. She wished more than anything that it was his touch to bring her pleasure.

* * *

 **To be continued… Find me on tumblr as everlarkstoastbabies.**

 **xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

A knot of anxiety settled itself in Katniss's stomach the next time she walked up the Mellarks' driveway. Peeta had occupied every facet of her mind in the week since their kiss. Every time she closed her eyes at night he was there, lingering at the forefront of her mind. When she ate, he was there. Even in school when she needed her concentration most, Peeta was there. And now that she would finally be in his presence again, she had no clue how she should be feeling.

He looked amazing as usual in dark wash jeans and a tight gray t-shirt when he answered the door. Her heart hammered in her chest, the air between them buzzing with electricity. "Hi." Peeta smiled warmly at her. Nothing in his eyes betrayed the slightest bit of apprehension. Katniss returned the smile, but her mouth was too dry to speak. After envisioning nothing but him all week, the sight him in the flesh was overwhelming. Luckily, Rye ran up to Katniss and threw himself around her legs at that very moment.

"Katniss!" he squealed. "Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did, Rye- Rye!" Since Peeta and Delly were no longer in marital counseling, she hadn't seen him all week, and she honestly had missed him. Katniss beamed at the little boy, the spitting image of his father. Only at the moment Rye had a smear of something that looked suspiciously like chocolate smeared across his cheek that Peeta did not.

"Me and daddy made cookies for you!" He sang, reaching for her hand. She accepted his sticky fingers and allowed him to lead her into the kitchen. Rye wasn't kidding. A mountain of cookies sat in the middle of the kitchen table, made of several different flavors by the looks of it. Double- chocolate mint and sugar macadamia nut and oatmeal butterscotch, among many others. "Get Katniss's special cookie, daddy!" Rye said.

Katniss whirled around to find that Peeta had followed them into the kitchen. From the very top of the pile, he extracted an iced sugar cookie and handed it to her. Her name was embellished on top in perfect icing and surrounded with a smattering of incredibly detailed Katniss flowers. The cookie was so perfect it would almost be a shame to eat it.

"Thank you," she whispered. The electric current running through her veins sparked again when Peeta smiled at her. She didn't know how long they held each other's gaze, but Peeta finally cleared his throat, breaking the spell. "I'm going out with a few friends tonight, but I shouldn't gone be too long," he told her. "Rye, be good for Katniss, and it's bedtime as usual, okay?" Rye nodded. Peeta's gaze flicked back to Katniss. "I'll talk to you when I get home?" He phrased it as a question, almost like he was offering her an out, a chance to say no. She nodded her head _yes_ all the same.

The evening seemed to drag on much longer than usual. Her stomach was a ball of nerves in anticipation of Peeta's arrival home. Katniss tried to give Rye her full attention, but his father still occupied most of her thoughts. It was lucky that he was an only child and fairly self- sufficient. After letting him win at Candy Land for the fourth time in a row, it was finally time for bed.

She guided him through brushing his teeth, dressing in pajamas, and read him a bedtime story. She was just about to turn off the light and head downstairs when a tiny voice called out behind her. "Katniss?" She turned to find two shiny blue eyes peeking out from under the comforter. "Will you stay with me?"

"Of course," she said, unable to deny him anything.

"I miss my daddy," Rye sniffled.

"I know you do, buddy. He'll be back when you wake up," Katniss promised.

"He says mommy's not comin' back." Katniss could think of no answer to this, so she rubbed his back soothingly. Her heart broke for the little boy. At the same time, anger flared in her for any mother that could abandon her child so easily.

"Will you be my mommy?" The words hit her like a ton of bricks. Her mouth went dry as she struggled to come up with an acceptable answer. One that wouldn't give him any false hope, but wouldn't crush him, either.

"How about we be friends, Rye?"

"Best friends?"

"Best friends," she said. The answer seemed to pacify him and he snuggled further into his blankets. Katniss stayed long after his eyes had slipped closed and his breathing deepened. When she left his bedroom, leaving the door cracked open so that she could hear him if he had a nightmare, she settled on the couch in the living room with her special cookie. Surely, Peeta had only made it because Rye had asked him to. He wouldn't have done it otherwise. That had to be the only reason he would have put so much effort into it. She really needed to stop reading so much into things. Sighing, she bit into the cookie. It tasted just as good as it looked.

Her heart leapt when she heard the garage door open an hour later. She tried to arrange herself on the couch in a casual position, like she wasn't a fidgety ball of nerves, but it probably just looked like she was trying too hard. She heard him cross the kitchen, every footstep echoing in her head.

"Hey," he whispered, tiptoeing into the living room. "Is he asleep?"

"Yeah, for about an hour now," she told him.

"Good," Peeta said, sitting gingerly down on the opposite end of the couch. "Listen, Katniss, I wanted to talk to you about the other night." She could only nod, distracted by the little things about him that she only every noticed when she was truly paying attention, like the cupid's bow of his lips and the dimples in his cheeks. "I shouldn't have done that. Kissed you, I mean. It was over the line, and I want to apologize to you."

Katniss gaped at him, her stomach sinking. Of course he regretted it; why wouldn't he? He got caught up in a moment of weakness and she happened to be the one there to witness it. She was nothing more than an escape for him. "I get it," she murmured, casting her eyes down at her hands in her lap. But then his hand came into her vision, which infuriatingly enough, was beginning to blur with tears. It wasn't like she expected to run away with him and live happily ever after, but coming from him, the truth still stung.

He grasped her hand gently in his. "Katniss? I didn't intend to hurt you at all. I'm so sorry." He truly looked it. His eyes held every ounce of sincerity when she gathered the courage to meet his gaze.

"I get it," she said again. "I'm not stupid, I know you don't like me in… in _that_ way or anything. You don't have to worry. I won't say anything to anyone."

Peeta's brow was furrowed in confusion. "Katniss, you aren't under the impression that I don't _like_ you, are you?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Of course you don't. Why would you?"

Peeta released her hand and ran his fingers through his tousled curls, throwing his head back in exasperation. "That's the whole problem, don't you see?" he groaned. "I _do_ like you, Katniss. Much, much more than I should. It's killing me." He looked back to her, a painful smile upon his handsome face. "You know, Delly accused me of cheating on her more than once. And after a while I realized that she was right, in a way. For a long time- much longer than I'm willing to admit- you were the only woman on my mind. Every time I was with my wife, I thought of _you_ , Katniss. I imagined how your body would feel beneath mine. How you would taste. How you'd sound as I made love to you. I've thought of you in a million different inappropriate ways. Hell, it's been eating me up inside for months, so never, _ever_ think that you are not worthy of desire or that I don't want you. Because I do, in the worst way possible."

Katniss's heart was pounding in her chest. It was a wonder it didn't burst right through her ribcage. Peeta Mellark wanted her. "I've thought about you, too," she confessed, shifting closer to him on the couch.

Peeta's eyes widened. "Please, don't make this harder on me than it already is," he begged. "I'm falling for you, Katniss Everdeen. And that terrifies me."

His words knocked the wind from her lungs. "Why does that terrify you?"

"Because I'm older than you. Because I'm in the midst of a nasty divorce. Because I don't know what this says about _me_ … and because I'm afraid I can't control myself around you." His voice was barely above a whisper, his face mere inches from hers.

"Then don't."

He hesitated for a split second. The weight of the decision hung in the air between them, thick with possibility and transgression and hunger. And then his hands wrapped around her the back of her head and he crushed his lips to hers. She responded with fervent enthusiasm, plunging her tongue into the sweet depths of his mouth. A groan rumbled up through his chest, setting her nerves on edge. He pushed her onto her back and she went willingly, pulling him with her. Her head thumped on the armrest of the couch, but she didn't care. Her hands found purchase on his muscular shoulders and she gripped him close to her, reluctant to let him pull even an inch away from her. But he had no intention of going anywhere, it seemed, because he threaded his hand through her hair, securing her face to his.

She could feel the stirrings of his erection against her leg, so she lifted her hips to grind into him. He groaned again, long and deep. "Tell me we should stop," he gasped. In answer, she melded her lips back to his, drawing his tongue into her mouth with a fervent moan. He wanted her to surrender so that he didn't have to. She wasn't going to do it.

Katniss slid her hands into the nonexistent space between them to paw at the buttons of his shirt. Finding that her fingers lacked their usual dexterity, she tore it open. Tiny buttons flew everywhere, bouncing off the couch and skittering across the hard wood floor. Peeta chuckled at her frustrated face when she was met with yet another barrier: his undershirt. He sat up and whipped it over his head. At last, his chest was bare to her. Firm and toned and sprinkled with a dusting of pale blond hair. Her fingers explored every muscled plane with relish.

She reached for the hem of her own shirt, but he caught her wrists before she could lift it. "I don't want to do this here. Not on the couch," he said. Before Katniss could say anything, he had stood up and pulled her with him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and occupied herself with the smooth skin of his neck, kissing a wet trail to his collarbone as he climbed the staircase. For a single, heart wrenching moment, Katniss though he was headed for the master bedroom, but he diverted down the hall into one of the guest rooms, as far from Rye's room as possible.

Peeta lowered her onto the enormous bed as gently as if she were made of glass. "Are you sure?" he asked her.

"Yes, Peeta," she breathed.

"Because if we do this… there's no going back." His voice was strained. In answer, she sat up and removed her shirt. Then she reached around her back to unhook her bra. Peeta's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when she revealed her breasts to him. She lamented for a second on the fact that she was nothing like his wife. She wasn't voluptuous is any sense of the word. Her waist was nonexistent and her breasts were small and dusky, but Peeta didn't seem to care, because any lingering trace of hesitation was wiped from his face the instant she bared herself for him to see. He dipped his head in an instant, latching his mouth around her nipple. The action sent a jolt of pleasure through her body. She arched herself into his mouth. His other hand came up to palm her sensitive flesh as he savored her with his mouth. He flicked the bud of her nipple with his tongue, every flick sending wetness to her core. Peeta let his fingers trail down her body until he popped the button of her jeans.

"Has anyone ever tasted you, before, Katniss?" She shook her head. "Can I?" His eyes dripped with lust, so dilated that his irises were nothing more than thin blue rings around fat, black pupils. She nodded.

He took his time dragging her pants down so that her anticipation soared. His fingers swept over the crotch of her underwear, already soaked through with her arousal. Peeta groaned. "Oh, Katniss, you're so wet. I haven't even touched you yet."

"I know," she said, breathless. "Touch me. _Please_." He obeyed, bending to press a kiss through her damp underwear. Katniss bucked her hips into his face in reaction. He chuckled, hooking his fingers around the sides of the panties and pulling them off at last. He wasted no time nuzzling into the neat patch of dark hair at her center, his eager tongue finding her clit at once.

"Oh god!" Her legs instinctively opened wider, allowing him greater access. Never in her life had anything felt so good. Peeta clearly knew what he was doing; his long licks transitioned to faster flicks of his tongue that drove her wild. She lost it when he sucked the little bud into his mouth. The orgasm hit her with such a force that it sucked the oxygen out of her, rendering her breathless. The ecstasy was blinding as it pulsed through her veins, wave upon delicious wave of pleasure seizing her body in turn.

When again she could see and the waves had faded to a dull thrumming in her core, it was to find Peeta grinning at her from between her thighs. "Do you want me to do it again?" His breath ghosted over her newly sensitive flesh, mouth poised and ready. _Yes. God, yes._

"No," she said. "Come here." Her lips crashed into his, her tongue poking out in search of his. Her own musk mixed with his natural sweetness to create a curiously intoxicating flavor. "Take off your pants," she ordered. He didn't break eye contact with her as he did as he was told. Her confidence wavered when she saw the sizable bulge straining through his underwear. She'd never gone this far with the any of her high school relationships. But she didn't want Peeta to know that he was experienced and she was not. She didn't want there to be any more inequalities between them.

Peeta didn't ask, but he seemed to sense her hesitation all the same. He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her with every ounce of tenderness in the world. "It's okay if you want to stop," he whispered against her lips.

But that was the last thing she wanted. She reached for the waistband of his boxers, tugging so that his cock sprang free. "Show me," she said. He wrapped his hand around hers, and then guided her to his flesh. He stroked their hands up and down so that she could catch the technique. When she had mastered the perfect grip and speed, he removed his hand to palm the flesh of her breasts.

"Oh, Katniss, _yes_. You're so good at that," he praised her. "Don't stop." He dipped his head to lave his tongue over her erect nipples. On instinct, her hand sped up, gliding over his weeping tip to the base. "I want to be inside you so badly."

"Then do it," she challenged.

"I don't have anything."

"I'm on birth control. We don't need anything." He gazed imploringly at her, but this time, he didn't try to stop her or deny his need to do this. He guided her onto her back.

"I'll be so careful with you," he whispered. She believed him. He carefully spread her folds with his thick fingers. She was more than ready for him. The tip of his blunt head nudged into her. She tried to relax her muscles as he slid in slowly, inch by inch, all the way to the hilt.

There was pain. A burning sensation that took her breath away. But Peeta's fingers came to stroke her throbbing clit again, insistent on massaging the pain away. He kissed the tip of her nose before capturing her lips again. He distracted her with his mouth, licking and sucking and nibbling her already swollen lips. Gradually, he started to move. Short, gentle strokes in and out of her at first, then long and languid thrusts that drove her entire body further up the mattress, coming dangerously close to smacking her head on the headboard.

The discomfort was all but forgotten as Peeta fucked her, his thumb stroking her clit in time with his thrusts. In fact, she was close to coming again. So fucking close. "Peeta," she grunted. "I- I'm gonna-"

"I know," he whispered, attaching his mouth to the hollow below her neck. He sped up his thrusts, pounding into her with even more enthusiasm, more intensity. The room was filled with their grunts and sighs, the air thick with sex.

"Oh... my… god. Don't stop," she begged him, clutching his muscled shoulders with every ounce of strength she possessed. He didn't. The force of his body drove hers deeper into the feather mattress.

"You're so amazing, Katniss," he grunted. "So beautiful, and perfect. And god, you're so fucking sexy." The words drive her to the brink of blinding pleasure yet again, waves of liquid bliss pulsing through her body. Fireworks burst behind her eyelids and her bones dissolved to jelly. On top of her, Peeta grunted out an indistinguishable cry of elation as his own orgasm surged through him.

She kissed the hollow below his ear as they came down from their highs together. "Wow," Peeta breathed, his shoulders heaving with his panting breaths. "That was… that was like nothing I've ever experienced." The complete sincerity in his eyes told her that he wasn't lying. A glimmer of pride swooped through her belly.

Peeta shifted so that he was lying next to her and tucked her into his side. Her center pulsed again when he held her face tenderly between his palms and kissed her, long and deep. She was still so wet. In fact, she felt a little _too_ wet. Pulling herself from Peeta's arms, she glanced down at the white comforter to find a sizable wet patch beneath her.

 _Oh god_. How embarrassing. How fucking, utterly humiliating.

Her face flushed a deep red, and she turned to Peeta with horror in her eyes. "I- I had no idea. I'm so sorry," she blurted out, but Peeta only chuckled.

"Katniss, it's okay," he said gently, lifting her chin with a finger. "It's natural. You didn't pee yourself, I promise. It just means that you _really_ liked it." His kind eyes held a hint of lust. "It's sexy as hell."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. All it means is we'll have to make sure and put down towels next time." He nuzzled his face into her neck, nipping lightly on her earlobe. His choice of words wasn't lost on her.

"Next time?"

He froze for a moment, pulling back to look at her. "I- I mean, only if you wanted… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to presume," he said. It was the first time she'd seen him so clearly flustered. It was rather endearing.

She gave him a sly smile. "Next time doesn't sound soon enough."

His answering smile could have lit up the whole room. "Stay with me tonight," he murmured between a fresh round of fervent kisses. "I'll drive you home in the morning."

"What will people say?" she mumbled, tilting her neck to expose more of her olive skin to his wandering mouth.

"Just tell them it got late and I insisted that you sleep in the guest room. It won't even be a lie," he grinned at her mischievously. He was so boyish in that moment, so irresistible, that she only had one answer to give.

"I'll stay."

* * *

 **A/N: There's one more part to the story after this. Time willing, I should be able to post it soon! In the meantime, reviews would be lovely. On another note... who's ready for Mockingjay Part 2? I can't believe our beloved franchise is coming to an end!**

 **XOXO**


	3. Chapter 3

School on Monday morning was a torturous affair. Having spent all weekend either being with Peeta or thinking about him, it was nearly impossible for Katniss to focus her mind on her classes. The slight twinge that lingered between her legs made him even more difficult to forget. Why on earth had she decided that her senior year was the right time to start taking AP classes? Why couldn't she have let herself skate by in her last year of high school like the rest of her classmates? Instead she was stuck in AP Bio, listening to a lecture on possibly the world's most boring topic: mitosis. She'd much rather be studying human reproduction. At least that might hold her interest.

"Earth to Katniss!"

"Huh?" Katniss snapped her head up to find her friend Johanna clicking her fingers in front of her face at the lunch table. Their other friend, Madge, was smirking next to Jo.

"She lives!" Johanna proclaimed. "We were starting to think you were brain dead, the way you've been so zoned out today."

"No, I'm just… distracted," Katniss said lamely. The other girls shared a knowing glance.

"It's a boy, isn't it?" Johanna pressed. Katniss shook her head. It wasn't a lie, technically. By no stretch of the imagination was Peeta Mellark a _boy_.

Madge elbowed Johanna in the ribs. "Jo, stop it. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Katniss," she said kindly. But Katniss found that she did want to talk about it to someone. She couldn't tell her mother and she certainly wasn't going to tell Prim. Who better than her friends? Madge was quiet- she didn't have anyone else to tell anyway- and Johanna may have been a bit of a loudmouth, but she was trustworthy.

"Okay, um… I had sex this weekend," Katniss whispered so that no one else could hear her in the crowded cafeteria. Two set of eyebrows shot up.

"Who?" The two girls said in unison.

"You know that family I babysit for? The Mellarks?"

"Shit," said Johanna. "You're not telling me…" Katniss nodded. "Fuck!" Johanna ran a hand through her short hair in disbelief. "My mom's friends with Delly Mellark, and you're telling me you banged her _husband_?"

"They're getting a divorce," Katniss said defensively.

"Good for him, that Delly is an uptight bitch," Jo said dismissively. " _Wow_. I can't believe this."

"How old is he?" Madge asked.

Katniss shrugged. The truth was that she didn't know exactly how old he was. "Late twenties, I think."

Johanna waved an airy hand. "Your 18th is in May, right? That's not so bad. Plus, Peeta Mellark is _hot_. I'd let him do me anytime. The real question is, is he good in bed?" Katniss blushed, the buzz of her phone thankfully saving her from answering the question. It was a text from Peeta himself.

 _Meetings with the divorce lawyer all week. I need you._

The last line sent a flood of wet heat to her core, effectively ruining her underwear for the day. The reaction apparently wasn't lost on Johanna, who said smugly, "I'll take that as a _yes_."

* * *

Peeta arrived home just before the stroke of midnight. Rye was long asleep, and Katniss had curled into a ball on the sofa to wait. She jumped when he walked through the door and immediately strode over to her and gathered her in his arms. "The guys kept me out late," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

And then he kissed her. Long and deep and wanting. It had been three days since she'd seen him. Three endless days since their quick kisses stolen when Rye was out of earshot. And a whole week since they had made love.

Katniss wrinkled her nose when they broke apart. He looked a little hurt. "Sorry," she said quickly. "It's just that you smell like a bar." Apparently Peeta's friends had gotten it into their heads that he needed to numb the pain of his divorce with alcohol, and plenty of it. This was the third time he'd been out with them this week.

He chuckled. "I'll go freshen up, then. Meet me in the guest room?" She nodded, pulling him back for one last kiss. He disappeared upstairs and left her squirming in anticipation in the couch. It was too much after a couple of minutes. She left her spot and tiptoed up the stairs. She could hear the shower running down the hall, curiosity leading her feet in the direction of Peeta's room. She'd never been in here before, and she was surprised when she walked in. The room was starkly devoid of a woman's presence. There were no photos on the dresser or art on the walls. Even the comforter on the bed was a navy- striped masculine variety. It didn't match the neutral color scheme of the room, and Katniss could only guess that it was a new addition.

"Katniss?" She jumped at the voice behind her, and turned to find Peeta staring at her, fresh from the shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist. There seemed to be something lodged in her throat, for when she looked at him, she found that she couldn't speak. He looked perplexed, but all she could focus on were the droplets of water falling from the tips of his hair and trickling onto the planes of his chest. She watched as one drop trailed down his abdomen and disappeared into the top of the towel.

"I wanted to see your room," she blurted when the silence had stretched a few beats too long. He ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck with the hand not holding up the towel.

"I- ah, don't really like being in here," he confessed, not meeting her eye. "Old memories, you know."

"I can help you make some new memories," she offered. Peeta looked up at her with wide eyes, but before he could say anything, she grabbed his naked shoulders and pulled him down to meet her lips. He responded with even more enthusiasm than before. She backed him further into the room, aiming for the bay window on the opposite side of the room. When the backs of his knees hit the cushioned seat, she pushed him onto it and sank to her knees in front of him.

Katniss pried the edge of the towel from the vice grip in his hand so that he was completely naked before her. He was half hard already. She hesitated before taking him into her mouth. She knew guys liked this, but what if she did it wrong? She thought back on the lecture Johanna had given her after she found out exactly whom Katniss was sleeping with.

 _Peeta Mellark has probably been with his share of women, and if he's already gone down on you, you can bet he's expecting you to reciprocate. Just watch your teeth and breathe through your nose. You'll be fine._

"Katniss?" Peeta had evidently noticed her distress. He brought a hand to her hair to sweep a stray lock from her face. "You don't have to do this if you're not comfortable. I really-" But she didn't give him the opportunity to object any more. She sucked in a deep breath and took him into her mouth for the first time. He sucked in a sharp breath and the hand in her hair tugged tightly on the roots. She gagged a little when she took him in as far as she could and he touched the back of her throat. She learned quickly that it was safer to focus her mouth mainly on the bulbous tip of him, allowing her hand to stroke his shaft and fondle his sack. If the deep, throaty groans he was giving were any indication, Peeta was enjoying it.

He grew harder and thicker under her ministrations, and she broke away from his head to lick along the thick vein on the underside of his shaft, then swirled her tongue through the dribbles of pre-cum escaping his tip. The salty flavor was strange, but not unwelcome.

A finger lifted her chin so that she was forced to release his cock from her mouth. Looking up at him from her perch on the floor, she thought for a second that she had done something wrong, but Peeta was smiling playfully. "You're a little overdressed, don't you think?" She was indeed, still fully dressed, right down to the smudge of chocolate Rye's sticky fingers had left on her t-shirt earlier. Not sexy in the least.

"Help me?" she said, rising from her knees to stand before him. Now he was looking up at her.

"Gladly," he purred. His large hands found her hips and tugged her forward. He nosed his way under her shirt to press wet kisses to her belly while his fingers found the button of her jeans. He pushed them down her legs, underwear and all, and pressed a kiss the to apex of her thighs. A gush of arousal collected in her center, and Katniss wasted no time stepping out of her pants and straddling Peeta on the window seat. His fully erect cock rested against her stomach and her braid fell over and smacked him in the face as she leaned down to claim a kiss from him. He chuckled and stretched her arms up high above her head, his hands finding the hem of her shirt and tugging it off her body. She reached around to unhook her bra and cast it aside. His lips found her sensitive nipples at once, and her head fell back at the sensation.

Thank god the dense foliage outside the window prevented any of Peeta's neighbors from peering into his bedroom. She braced her hands against the window, unwilling to wait any longer. He helped her align herself with his weeping tip, and she sank down onto him, allowing him to stretch her to capacity. They moaned in unison when he had filled her to the hilt. There was a slight ache reminiscent of the last time they were together, but Katniss let it out of her mind quickly. She needed to _move_.

Peeta's skilled hands fondled her breasts as she rose up on her knees, almost to the point where he was in danger of slipping out of her before plunging back down again. She did it again, faster this time. And again, each pass catching a spot within her that she hadn't even known existed.

His head and upper body rested against the window, the glass fogging from the dampness of his hair and the layer of perspiration on his skin. One of her hands left the window to snake between their bodies. She found her clit, her fingers circling in time with her movements, but she ached for a different touch.

"Peeta," she rasped, but she need not say anymore. Peeta knew exactly what she wanted. The rough pad of his thumb replaced her fingers, picking up where she left off. Her hand returned to the window, clawing at the glass for support.

"Keep saying my name like that, and I'll give you anything you want," he growled into her ear.

" _Peeta_ ," she obliged, her voice rough with sex. He groaned deeply and grabbed her hips, quickening their pace and pushing himself into her farther still.

The rest was nothing but pants and gasps and groans with the occasional "Fuck!" uttered from one or both of them. And when it was over, it was the only memory either one of them could associate with that room.

* * *

"So what do you think?"

"Are you sure that thing is safe?" Peeta frowned at the car sitting in his driveway. _If_ you could indeed call it a car. The vehicle was completely out of place adjacent to the stately manor and manicured lawn of the Mellark residence. A burnt orange '85 Chevett, slighty rusted but still in excellent condition and procured from Katniss's elderly neighbor, a woman called Sae. She didn't drive anymore and had no use for it. At the cost of five hundred dollars and a basket of Peeta's freshly baked cheese buns, it was the best trade Katniss had ever made.

" _Peeta_ ," Katniss rolled her eyes. "Of course it's safe."

"Does it even have airbags? How many miles does it have on it?"

"I don't know. A lot, probably. And of course it has airbags!" Admittedly, she wasn't entirely sure on that last point. Katniss made a mental note to read up on the car's safety features when she got home. The frown lines on Peeta's forehead deepened. "I thought you'd be happy!" she said. "Now Chaff doesn't have to drive me around and it won't look so suspicious when I'm here late."

"You know I could have helped you buy a car, right? I'd have been glad to do it, Katniss. I just want to make sure you're safe, and this… I don't know."

"It's already weird that you still pay me for watching Rye," she protested. "You can't buy me a car too!"

"Oh please, it's not like I leave the money on the nightstand! And I can't _not_ pay you for watching my son. I'm keeping you from getting a real job and the least I can do is pay you for the time you spend with him. And… you're really good for him, Katniss. He's having a tough time with the divorce, and I think you're some of the best therapy he can get. If Delly's not going to be around, he needs at least one steady female presence in his life."

Her heart skipped a beat and she dropped the subject, momentarily mollified. "Still, you couldn't have helped me. If you want to get custody, your finances need to be clean for court," she pointed out. She could tell that this stumped him. She was right. Delly's lawyer was going through Peeta's bank account with a fine- toothed comb for any discrepancies. A brand new car for his babysitter would be an enormous red flag.

"Still," Peeta said, rubbing the back of his neck exasperatedly, "Let me help you with the insurance payments or something… You _do_ have insurance, right?"

For the second time in ten minutes, Katniss rolled her eyes. "Yes, I have insurance. Don't worry about it. I've got it handled. It will get me from point A to point B, and as long as point B is right here-" she stepped around the vehicle and wrapped her arms around his waist-"that's all I need."

Peeta ducked his head into her neck and sighed deeply. "I do kind of like the color," he relented. "My first car was orange, too." Katniss smiled to herself against his chest.

* * *

"I want to take you on a real date," Peeta announced later that day. They were laying in his bed naked and post coital, but she couldn't help giggling and rolling her eyes at him.

"Wanna know the irony of that?" she said. "You'd need a babysitter for Rye."

"Oh the joys of single parenthood," Peeta chuckled, but after a moment his expression became serious again. "I do want to take you out, though. I want to court you."

Katniss snickered. " _Court_ me? How old are you, anyway?"

"I'm serious, Katniss. I want to date you and make you feel special like a real boyfriend should. You deserve that."

"I don't need that. All I need is right here." She ran a hand up his well- defined torso.

"How about on your birthday? We could go to dinner somewhere out of town." He was clearly not going to let this go until she agreed.

"If I say yes, will you shut up and fuck me again?" She was only half- serious, but there was no trace of teasing in Peeta's reply.

"Oh absolutely." His mouth found hers to indulge in a deep, primal kiss.

"Then yes," Katniss whispered.

May 8th arrived to find that Peeta had arranged for Rye to spend the night at his brother's house. Rye got along well with his cousins, so the situation was a win-win. Peeta really was going all out for this, Katniss thought. She had already shared a hasty birthday celebration with her mother and sister, and told them she was going out with friends and wouldn't be back until morning. Johanna was in the loop and ready with an excuse if Katniss's mother called for any reason, but Katniss highly doubted that she would. Still, being prepared never hurt anything.

Peeta arrived at Jo's to pick up Katniss at exactly 8 o'clock. Even though she had been in an intimate relationship with this man for months, her heart still raced when he rang the doorbell. Johanna smirked and shoved her toward the door. "You better answer that, brainless." Katniss shot a glare at her and tugged down the short, black dress her friend had lent her for the occasion. Although she had ignored Jo's insistence that she should forgo her underwear, she had accepted help in the makeup department. A little mascara and blush went a long way. The look on Peeta's face when she opened the door confirmed that.

"Shall we?" he said, recovering himself and offering her his arm. With a backward glance at a smug Johanna, Katniss accepted Peeta's outstretched arm and allowed him to escort her to the car.

"It's a bit of a drive," he warned her as he hopped into the driver's seat. "I made reservations at this great little place in the city. I thought somewhere quiet and out of the way would be…" He didn't need to finish the thought. Katniss knew that he was still wary of being seen with her in public. Not wanting this to dampen the mood, she decided it was time to change the subject.

"So how was Rye when you dropped him off?"

Peeta chuckled. "I don't think Rye even realized when I left, actually. He was already off running around the house with the others about 30 seconds after we got there. I doubt my brother's going to get any sleep tonight. So enjoy this, because it'll probably be our last night out for a while."

The drive went smoothly from there. Katniss had to admit to herself that she enjoyed riding in Peeta's car more than her Chevette, but it wasn't for the updated luxuries (though heated seats and a working radio were pleasant bonuses). It was for the pure joy of having Peeta next to her. Their intimate relationship had started in this car. His large hands were wrapped around the steering wheel, brow furrowed in concentration. Peeta didn't realize it, but his nostrils flared and he let out an impatient huff of air whenever another driver cut him off or neglected to use a blinker. Mere months ago, Katniss could never have imagined that this man would be hers. Now that he was, she treasured absolutely everything about him.

She was so lost in contemplation that she hardly realized when Peeta parked the car outside a little bistro and announced with a wide grin, "We're here!"

He insisted that she wait for him to open her door. "When a gentleman courts a lady, Katniss…" he mock- scolded her, shaking his index finger playfully at her. The hostess sat them at a cozy table in the corner of the room. When the perky blond waitress arrived at their table to take their drink orders, her eyes raked over Peeta, taking in his perfectly gelled curls, muscular arms, and the dusting of chest hair peeking out from the top of his shirt. A wave of jealousy flushed through Katniss. The girl was obviously trying to get Peeta's attention, shoving her perfect cleavage in his face and laughing as though he'd made the funniest joke in the world when he gave her a dazzling smile and requested two iced teas, no sugar. She hardly spared Katniss a glance and announced that she would be right back with their drinks.

"Something wrong?" Peeta asked when the waitress had flounced away.

"No," Katniss lied.

"Katniss…" He raised his eyebrows, unconvinced.

"Oh please, don't tell me you didn't notice Ms. Boobs shirt over there. Did you even see the way she was gawking at you? It was like watching a dog salivate over a piece of meat!" Unexpectedly, Peeta's face split into a wide grin. "What?" she demanded. "What's so funny?"

"You know, I kind of like this jealous side of you. You're so fiery; it's adorable."

"It's not funny." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Peeta schooled his features into a somber expression. "Believe me Katniss, I've liked you for far too long to throw it all away for the first girl that shows me any attention. I want you. Only you."

She grinned at him, and Peeta didn't even take his eyes off her when the blonde came back with their tea and took their orders. "Lamb stew," Katniss said, selecting the first item she spotted on the menu.

Same," Peeta said, and the waitress walked away again, visibly irritated that Peeta had not shown her any attention. They smirked at each other. "You know, I was going to wait until later to do this, but I don't think I can wait any longer." He pulled a velvet box from his pocket, about the size of his palm and deep blue in color. It reminded Katniss of his eyes.

"Peeta, you didn't have to get my anything! I thought our date was my gift."

Peeta rolled his eyes. "How could I not get something for the most beautiful girl in the world? It's not every day you turn eighteen." Katniss flushed and opened the box. Nestled atop the navy satin was a single pearl. Silvery gray and flawless, it was looped through a fine silver chain, entirely too beautiful to _touch_ , nonetheless wear.

" _Peeta_ ," she breathed. She looked up into his anxious face, lost for words.

"Do you like it? I thought you wouldn't like anything too flashy like diamonds, but still something precious and rare, and when I saw this, I thought of you, and-"

"Peeta," she said again. "I love it. It's absolutely stunning. Will you help me put it on?" He smiled that infectious smile and got up from his place at the table to stand behind her. She gathered her hair in one hand and his fingers brushed her skin when he looped the necklace around her neck. Pleasant tingles trickled down her spine. He moved away far too quickly for her liking.

He returned to his seat and appraised his gift. "I was right. It exactly matches your eyes." Their food came just then, but Katniss hardly tasted it, lost in his spell. By the time dessert arrived, Katniss was thrumming with energy, eager for the meal to finish so that she could kiss this wonderful man that was somehow hers. She made it as far as the parking lot before she pressed him to his car and took his lips with hers. She would have happily made love with him then and there in the car, but Peeta insisted that's not what a gentleman would do. So it was with great anticipation that she settled in the front seat to wait out the endless drive home. She didn't let go of his hand until he had pulled into his driveway forty minutes later.

Insisting once again that she wait for him to open the car door, Peeta lifted her right out of her seat and carried her over the threshold into the house. She secured her arms around his neck and busied herself with nibbling the sensitive skin around his ears and clavicle. Once in the bedroom, Peeta pressed her back against the wall and kissed her senseless. He pressed his knee between her legs and she ground down on him, keening in pleasure. His fingers joined in, snaking up her dress and into her underwear. She reached for the button of his slacks, but Peeta stayed her wrist.

"Oh no, Katniss. It's _your_ birthday. I am entirely at your mercy," he growled. "Just tell me what you want."

She flushed a deep red. "I like it when… when you eat me out."

Peeta grinned wickedly. "My pleasure." His voice was so smoky and his tongue curled around the word with such a loving caress that it sent a flood of moisture to her core. His fingers found her zipper and dragged it down her back, leaving Johanna's dress lying forgotten on the floor. Katniss shimmied out of her underwear, waiting for him to take her. But instead of lowering her to the bed, Peeta flopped onto his back on the mattress and beckoned her to join him.

"What are you-"

"Just trust me," Peeta said. "Sit on top of me." Completely thrown by the request, Katniss swung her legs over him, straddling his stomach. He shook his head. "No. Up here." He pointed to his face.

"But I'll smother you!" she balked.

He chuckled. "I promise you won't. Grab the headboard for support if you need to." Apprehensively, she crawled up his torso and settled her center over his mouth. Peeta grabbed her hips to pull her down, his mouth watering for her.

"Oh!" she cried out when his tongue met her flesh. The sensation was entirely different from this angle, and entirely thrilling. Her knees sank further and further into the mattress with each swipe of his tongue and each nibble of his teeth. Soon, she was riding his face free of abandon, chasing the fire racing through her veins. Only Peeta incited this in her. Only he could make her feel this way.

Before she succumbed to the impending bliss, she had an idea. Something she could never, ever verbalize, but she wanted it so much in the moment that nothing was going to stop her.

She changed position so quickly that Peeta didn't have time to protest. She settled herself back over his mouth, this time facing the opposite direction. Leaning down on her hands and knees, she tugged down his pants to expose him. "Katniss, what are you-" She didn't allow him time to finish the question before securing her lips around the head of his cock. "Ohhhh." The vibrations of Peeta's moan zipped through her body, setting every single one of her nerves on fire.

She plunged down on him as far as her gag reflex would allow. Peeta's hips jerked instinctively. She smirked to herself. She was getting better at this. He began thrusting his hips up toward her face, Katniss grinding down on his mouth with abandon, no longer worried about smothering him. It was a wonder he could breathe at all, but Peeta's frequent moans and grunts as she sucked him off let her know that he was more than okay. The salty taste of his pre-cum filled her mouth and she sucked in her cheeks, swirling her tongue over his head. Her hand pumped his shaft in the way that guaranteed him an earth- shattering orgasm.

Even though Peeta was close to falling over the edge, his mouth never let up on her. He rolled her clit between his lips, plunged his tongue as deep as it would go into her sweet depths.

Her walls began to contract just as spurts of hot, thick liquid filled her mouth. They came together, a trembling, sweaty tangle of boneless limbs and racing hearts.

They lay there for mere seconds before Katniss shifted herself to straddle Peeta's lap. Her lips found his in a fierce kiss, her hips grinding into him, desperate for more. More than ready for round two. "Holy shit, Katniss," Peeta gasped between fervent rounds of kisses. "I'm not as young as you. I don't have your stamina."

She grinned wickedly at him. "You said anything I want, remember?"

"How could I forget?" And then without warning, he flipped them so that he loomed over her, intent on devouring every inch of her body. He went for her neck first, finding all her pressure points with ease. Kissing and suckling and nibbling the long column of exposed olive skin. He lavished her breasts with one hand, and inserted a thick finger into her with the other. Katniss's back bowed off the bed in pleasure, strings of incomprehensible words and unintelligible moans falling from her lips.

" _Fuck_! Oh my god, Peeta. Like that… _oh_. Oh!"

And then he buried himself in her as her second orgasm hit, his cock hard and ready for her once more.

And in that moment, Katniss knew that Peeta would do anything for her. He'd buy her all the pearl necklaces in the world if she so desired; he'd present the entire ocean to her if he could. But even then, her only birthday wish would be stay right here in this moment forever.

Sex with Peeta was the most incredible thing Katniss had ever experienced. Each and every time, the world narrowed to a single room containing just the two of them. Their own personal bubble, where no one could interrupt them and nothing else mattered. And so it felt like hours later that the pair of lovers lay on the floor in front of the fire, sated but thoroughly exhausted. Peeta had disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes to hunt for food and reappeared with all of Katniss's favorites. They fed each other bits of pastries and fruit while the fire crackled in the background.

"I can't wait for summer next week. We'll have all the time in the world," Katniss sighed, picturing the secluded picnics they could have by the lake. She knew just the perfect place; a meadow blossoming with dandelions come spring and shaded by weeping willows. She thought it would be nothing less than incredible to make love under the sweeping branches of a willow tree.

But Peeta looked away from her, his forehead wrinkled in deep thought. "Katniss, that's actually something I've been meaning to discuss with you." His tone was not promising. It immediately sent a flood of ice cascading into her stomach. The edges of their bubble trembled, ready to burst with sudden tension. Peeta's fingers found her chin and lifted it so that her eyes met his. "You're graduating next week. You'll be going to college soon after." He said it with such grim finality in his tone that he might have been announcing the death of a close friend.

This was true. They'd always known this, but Katniss had never seen it as a particularly large obstacle. "I don't have to go away to school, though," she reasoned. "I've been thinking about it too. I could stay here and take classes at the community college for a while…"

But Peeta was shaking his head. "Don't you see? That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I can't be _that guy_ , Katniss!"

"What are you talking about? What _guy_?" Frustrated tears were beginning to prickle her eyes, the ice in her stomach forming a frozen knot that seemed to lodge itself in her throat.

"I mean that I can't be the guy that holds you back! The guy that forces you to give up your life. The guy that steals your potential. I can't do that to you Katniss; don't you see? I'm not worth that! If could look me in the eyes right know and tell me that you really _do_ want to stay here for any reason other than me, I might be okay with that, but I can't let you stay just for me. I can't."

"It wouldn't be just for you! I have Prim to think about, too."

Peeta looked at her despairingly. "You know that's not true, Katniss. Prim will be fine, and more than that, she wants you to go to college. She wants you to be happy." A long stretch of silence passed as Katniss twisted her hands into the bedspread, trying desperately to come up with a different argument.

"I don't even know what I want to do with my life," she mumbled at last. "Going away to school will be a waste of time without a goal."

"Have you ever considered working with children? Maybe becoming a teacher? You're great with Rye," Peeta pointed out.

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Sure, but he's special."

"You practically raised Prim-"

"She's special too."

Peeta sighed and lifted her chin again. "Katniss, when are you going to see that _you're_ the special one here?"

"But… but what if you meet someone while I'm gone?" The childish insecurities tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them, one after the other. "What if you find some sophisticated, older woman who sweeps you off your feet? Someone that you don't have to hide? Then what?"

Peeta's eyes burned into hers. "I don't _want_ someone sophisticated or older; I just want you, Katniss. And let me assure you, there aren't going to be any other women in my future. I'm fresh off a divorce and about to be granted full custody of a four- year- old. I don't have time for anyone else." His mouth twitched into a self- deprecating smile. But then his face fell, his mouth opened and closed wordlessly. Whatever he was trying to say was clearly painful for him. "Also… I really think you should explore all your options. Date other people, you know. That's what college is supposed to be about. I don't want you to be tied down to me."

Katniss didn't know if she should slap him or hug him, he was being so ridiculous. She settled for grabbing his face between her hands, repeating the words he'd said to her only moments before. "I don't want anyone else. Just you, Peeta."

"Tell you what. If when you graduate from college we're both still single, we'll give it another go. But for now… let's put it on hold."

She had no answer for this. To postpone the inevitable, she pulled his face down to hers, their lips meeting for a moment of searing passion. All too soon, Peeta broke away to whisper in her ear, "You know, just because you're going away doesn't mean we can't have the occasional rendezvous when you visit on the weekends."

An unwilling chuckle fell from her lips. She'd tried to avoid his eyes thus far into their conversation because she knew looking at them would weaken her resolve. But they captivated her, those brilliant blue irises. And she could see that this decision was killing him as much as it was her. This time, the kiss that followed was demanding and fierce. These lips belonged to her- Peeta had just told her as much- and she wanted to claim them. He let her. Katniss led the kiss, nipping and pulling his soft lips, marking her territory. But it wasn't enough. She broke away to beg the question that was heavy on her mind.

"Will you wait for me?"

Peeta smiled, his arms wrapped firmly around her. Katniss dreaded the moment when she would have to let him go, but his answer softened the blow.

"I'll wait for you as long as it takes, Katniss. I'm not going anywhere."

Hope bloomed in her chest like the first dandelion sprouting from the ground after the frosts of winter had subsided. She trusted him to her very core; enough to believe what he said was true. Peeta would be there when she got back. He would wait for her, always.

* * *

 **I have to say happy 2016 to all my followers and thank you for waiting so patiently for the final installment! I figured there's no better way than to begin a new year with everlark smut! Leave a review or find me as everlarkstoastbabies on tumblr.**

 **XOXO**


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